Faced with the attack from the short figure in the black cloak, Elniel reacted swiftly. The moment the short figure leapt forward, Elniel had already flicked her wrist and launched four psionic bullets in a straight line toward her opponent.
For Elniel, this was already the limit of her abilities. Although she was a Saint-ranked psionicist, her skills were not particularly suited for combat.
Boom!
The short figure in the black cloak effortlessly shattered the four psionic bullets Elniel had fired. In the blink of an eye, the jade starstone sword was already thrusting toward Elniel. One step more, and the broadsword would be resting against her throat.
Luckily for her, his madness ended there.
Zhang Wen’s longsword appeared like a ghost in front of the short black-cloaked figure. Before he could even react, the blade had already shifted sideways, striking the black-cloaked figure’s face like a whip.
Crack!
The short figure spat blood and flew backward, crashing into his companion.
At that moment, as the two fell, Ge Luo’s gaze, previously filled with mocking amusement, suddenly changed. Like lightning, he dashed halfway across the room and abruptly appeared beside the two black-cloaked men.
Boom!
Ge Luo’s heavy punch slammed into the short black-cloaked figure.
The shockwave from the shattered protective battle ability of a Saint-ranked physical warrior nearly tore everything in the room to shreds. The two black-cloaked men, still midair and not yet landing, simultaneously spat a spray of blood and were hurled backward, denting the sturdy metallic wall of the ship.
All of this happened in an instant. Elniel had barely recovered from the shock of nearly being impaled when the black-cloaked figure was already lying on the ground, bleeding from Ge Luo’s strike.
“Are you alright?” Zhang Wen turned around, standing protectively in front of Elniel, and asked with concern.
“I’m fine,” Elniel softly replied, nodding slightly, her cheeks suddenly blushing. “Um… I guess I owe you again,” she murmured, hastily shifting her gaze elsewhere.
“Now, you two should tell me who exactly you are.”
On the other side, Ge Luo coldly smirked, stepping over the broken glass across the floor, approaching the two black-cloaked men. He grabbed the short figure by the hair, yanking his head up.
“Cough… cough…” the short figure involuntarily showed a flicker of fear in his eyes as he met Ge Luo’s icy gaze.
But even before the short figure could utter a single word, his eyes suddenly froze. Then, with an expression of disbelief, he turned his gaze toward his companion.
During the earlier fight with Zhang Wen, the tall black-cloaked figure had been thrown twice by Zhang Wen, effectively enduring two combined attacks from Zhang Wen and himself, leaving him already quite seriously injured.
“Hehe…” the tall black-cloaked figure gasped, pushing his companion aside.
“Tsk!” Ge Luo frowned deeply.
At the short figure’s heart, Ge Luo saw the tip of a dagger protruding through his body.
“You… you even killed your own comrade?” Elniel, unable to believe her eyes, instinctively grabbed Zhang Wen’s arm.
“Hehe! Of course! This guy was just too scared. After being intimidated by you lot, he was actually going to talk. If I didn’t kill him, would you expect me to let him lead you to Lailiya? Don’t dream! Hehe!” the tall black-cloaked figure cackled sinisterly, staggering to his feet.
“Zhang Wen, we really underestimated your abilities. But wanting to get information about our master from us is simply dreaming! Our forces are far beyond your imagination. You may have won this time, but don’t get too happy. Hehe… In this contest for dominance in the Southern Border, we were merely the advance scouts sent to test the waters. Your death is merely postponed by a few days. That person has already set out… Once that person arrives at the Southern Border, you will all…”
As the tall black-cloaked figure spoke these last few sentences, his body began to tremble like someone with chills. He hadn’t even finished the last few words before he stopped breathing altogether.
“Damn it!” Ge Luo hurried forward, ripping off the hoods of the two black-cloaked figures. What he saw were two faces nearly grotesque in appearance—extensive burn-like scars covered their faces, making it impossible to discern their original features.
“Ahh!” Elniel cried out in fright. “Who are they?”
“Don’t know.” Ge Luo tossed the hoods back, concealing the terrifying faces once more.
“In my opinion, these two must have come from a very significant source,” Zhang Wen comforted Elniel briefly before turning to say.
“Oh? What makes you think so?” Ge Luo asked in response.
“It’s simple. Both of them are Saint-ranked experts. No matter where you go, Saint-ranked experts are powerful figures who can command great influence. A master who can command two Saint-ranked martial artists to the point that they would rather die than reveal their identities… who else could it be besides the top few noble families in the Empire? Even your teacher wouldn’t casually sacrifice Saint-ranked warriors at his disposal, would he?”
“Hmm…” Ge Luo frowned deeply.
An organization that would casually sacrifice two Saint-ranked martial artists would not only be infuriating but also clearly terrifying.
“Tsk!” After a moment of silence, Ge Luo suddenly clicked his tongue loudly and left without another word.
“He just left like that? Didn’t Ge Luo say earlier that after dealing with those two, he was going to…” Elniel asked Zhang Wen in confusion.
“You still wanted him to fight me?” Zhang Wen replied with a chuckle.
“Of course not! I was just worried that maybe he left because he was setting some kind of trap…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Right now, Ge Luo definitely doesn’t have time to deal with me, a small fry. Before those two showed up, Omega might have considered me a nuisance. But now…” Zhang Wen shook his head with a bitter smile at Elniel.
“What about now?” Elniel asked anxiously.
“Sigh…” Zhang Wen sighed, having to continue explaining. “The fact that these two showed up on the Star Moon proves that the struggle for dominance in the Southern Border now involves more than just the Southern Border. The noble families from the Imperial Capital have already extended their hands into this. Compared to those titanic powers, I’m just a tiny shrimp. Besides, both Omega and I are native sons of the Southern Border. When it comes to facing off against those noble families, perhaps Omega and I might even have a chance to cooperate.”
“Oh…” Hearing this, Elniel finally felt reassured.
“Hey hey! You call yourself a wise woman of the Kentucky clan? Can’t even figure out such a simple question? Or is it like they say, a woman in love has her intelligence dulled?” Zhang Wen couldn’t help but tease Elniel with a grin.
“Who… who’s in love?” Elniel’s face turned bright red, too embarrassed to meet Zhang Wen’s gaze, quickly shifting her eyes elsewhere.
“Oh! So you’re not in love, you’re just plain dumb then!” Zhang Wen laughed even more heartily.
“You…” Elniel was too furious to speak.
“Alright, alright! No more teasing. Come with me,” Zhang Wen waved at Elniel.
“Where are we going?” Elniel asked, still angry.
“Of course to my room. Otherwise, do you plan to stay here all night?” Zhang Wen said in surprise, pointing around at the ruined room before walking out.
Only now did Elniel notice that after the earlier battle, her room was left in ruins. Not only were the glass tabletop and cabinets shattered, but even the only bed in the room had been reduced to a pile of rags and splintered wood.
Facing the devastation, Elniel stood there helplessly, looking up only to find that Zhang Wen had already vanished. He had only casually invited her once, not even giving her a chance to respond, and had left her behind!
“Hmph!” The elven beauty bit her lip tightly.
“Come on,” suddenly Zhang Wen’s head reappeared in the doorway, grinning. “Under these circumstances, even if you wanted to stay alone, I wouldn’t feel comfortable. If you won’t come with me, then I’ll just have to stay here in your room for the night… But, you wouldn’t want to spend the night here with two corpses, would you?”
As Zhang Wen finished speaking, the hallway’s air conditioner suddenly kicked in, blowing a gust of cold air into the room.
Click! A faint sound came from inside the room.
“Oh?” Elniel turned sharply and saw the mask that had covered the tall black-cloaked figure’s face had been blown onto the floor by the wind!
Not only had his terrifying face reappeared, but his wide-open, lifeless eyes seemed to be staring directly at Elniel.
“Let’s go!” Elniel’s face changed, and she quickly stepped out of the door.
“Haha!” Zhang Wen laughed, barely able to contain himself, following close behind.
“Oh, by the way, who is this Lailiya you mentioned to them?” Elniel suddenly stopped halfway, remembering something and turning to ask Zhang Wen.
“Lailiya? She’s the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard.”
“The deputy commander of the Imperial Guard? Why would the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard want you to rescue her?” Elniel became even more puzzled.
“Huh? Didn’t I mention it before? I’m practically a member of the Imperial Guard myself.”
“Practically a member? How can you say practically?” Elniel couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Zhang Wen, then quickly asked with concern, “You’re a trainer at the Almishus Academy, how did you end up joining the Imperial Guard?”
“Is joining the Imperial Guard a bad thing?” Zhang Wen asked curiously.
“Of course not that it’s bad. It’s just… do you even know what the Imperial military is like?” Elniel looked worried.
“Well, I actually don’t know much about it…” Zhang Wen honestly admitted.
“What? You joined without knowing anything at all?” Elniel looked at Zhang Wen in disbelief. “You don’t seem like the kind of person who acts recklessly. How could you be so easily deceived?”
“Huh?” Zhang Wen looked at Elniel, completely confused. He really couldn’t understand how Elniel had come to the conclusion that he had been tricked.
“Ahh!” Elniel’s expression became even more certain as she saw Zhang Wen’s bewildered look. “Don’t you realize? In the Imperial military, people like you who are conscripted temporarily are just cannon fodder! They make all sorts of empty promises to you, but in reality, once you fulfill their demands, they’ll just discard you. I never thought you would actually…”
Elniel glared at Zhang Wen, too upset to continue.
“No, you’ve got it wrong. They…” Zhang Wen helplessly waved his hand at Elniel.
Back on Earth, a large part of Zhang Wen’s career involved dealing with scheming and intrigue. In this area, Zhang Wen was at a top professional level. How could he possibly fall for the kind of trick Elniel was talking about?
Lailiya had asked Zhang Wen for help, not with empty promises, but with a genuine conscription order. That appointment letter, naming Zhang Wen as “Captain of the Southern Border Special Detachment of the Imperial Guard,” was now in Zhang Wen’s pocket, bearing the unique seal of the Emperor and the Imperial Guard.
Of course, for Zhang Wen to truly take that position, he still had to demonstrate sufficient strength in the upcoming battle for dominance in the Southern Border.
But one thing was certain: unless the Emperor himself and General William had gone mad, willing to gamble the supreme honor of the Imperial Guard and the Imperial family just to trick Zhang Wen, from the moment Zhang Wen decided to cooperate with Lailiya, he had already become the representative of the Imperial Guard in the Southern Border!
Seeing Zhang Wen still trying to defend the Imperial Guard, Elniel immediately cut him off.
“No! You were deceived by them! Do you think our Kentucky clan became what it is now without reason? Our Kentucky clan used to always produce great experts, but we were tricked too many times by those Imperial nobles, which is why we became what we are now. I’ve seen too many such things! Don’t think that just because you joined the Imperial Guard, you’ll have a high status. A soldier of the Imperial Guard might have some power in the Imperial Capital, but in the Southern Border, no one will care!” Elniel earnestly looked into Zhang Wen’s eyes as she spoke.
As the wise woman of the Kentucky clan, Elniel was very different from big men like Kai and Si. Besides being shy, Elniel rarely showed her emotions so clearly. However, after spending so much time with Elniel, Zhang Wen had already learned to detect changes in her emotions from many small details.
For example, right now, as Elniel spoke, her elven-like long ears were standing straighter than usual, slightly turning inward. This indicated that Elniel was very worried.
Regardless of how groundless Elniel’s worries might be, any man who could receive such genuine concern from a beauty like Elniel would probably feel nothing but happiness at this moment! In such a situation, Zhang Wen couldn’t even think of making fun of her.
“Alright. I’ll definitely be careful,” Zhang Wen solemnly nodded at Elniel.
Sighing deeply, Eniel clenched her fist with a determined expression. “Well, what’s the use of merely warning you to be careful? If you’ve already accepted their summons, you’ve already fallen into a trap. Escaping from it won’t be easy at all. However, no matter what happens, I’ll definitely support you and help you get through this crisis safely. The tragedy that once struck us Kentuckians must never happen again to the revivalist of our clan.”
“Hmm… Okay.” Looking at Yinel’s determined expression, Zhang Wen didn’t know what else to say.
Zhang Wen knew that by now, Yinel’s misunderstanding had become very deep. Unless he showed her the summons he had received from Lailiya, no matter what he said, Yinel would certainly believe that he had fallen into Lailiya’s wicked trap.
However, Zhang Wen was equally clear that before resolving the issue of the battle for supremacy in the southern territories, absolutely no one could be allowed to find out about that summons order!
Because before Zhang Wen could prove his own value, even if he revealed his identity, he wouldn’t gain any support! On the contrary, this identity would only become a death sentence for him.
No one wishes to see Andrei Stan rise again, wielding the might of the Imperial Guard.
Once the news spreads that “Andrei Stein, the former Lord of the Southern Border and Mithril Hunter, is about to be conscripted by the Sentinel Legion to join the battle for dominance over the Southern Border,” Zhang Wen will immediately become the target of everyone’s hatred!
If things really come to this, apart from the potential threats that might come from the imperial capital, there is also the immediate challenge from the nearby high-level expert—Omega the Thunder God. Zhang Wen simply cannot get past him!
Moreover, Kay and Si, the two Kentucky warriors beside Eileen, didn’t seem like the type of people who could keep secrets.
Therefore, after carefully considering it in his mind, Zhang Wen felt it would be better not to explain things to Einer for now. After all, a small misunderstanding wouldn’t lead to serious consequences, but the Thunder God Omega could be deadly.
“…Anyway, we have to rescue Lieutenant Lailia of the Imperial Guard first; she’s the one who issued the summons that brought you into the Guard. The Imperial Guard holds a very special status within the empire. Even a summons from a mere lieutenant can’t be revoked by anyone! So, if you want to leave the Imperial Guard, you have no choice but to rescue her and get her to personally revoke the order she issued to recruit you…” While Zhang Wen was lost in thought, Eneal was still wholeheartedly planning for him. “Hey! Are you even listening to what I’m saying?”
“Of course, I’m definitely listening,” Zhang Wen hurriedly nodded.
“Well… okay. Do you know where they’re keeping that girl, Laila?”
“I don’t know.” Zhang Wen answered this question rather quickly.
“Alright then! We’ll just have to start searching from the beginning.” Yinel sighed deeply once more and took Zhang Wen’s hand, leading him forward as if guiding him in the search for Lailiya’s whereabouts.
“No, we can’t look for them now,” Zhang Wen said, holding back the hurried Yiner.
“Why? You have to believe me, the faster you leave the Imperial Guard, the better! The longer you are conscripted, the less chance there will be of them letting you go!” Elniel shouted anxiously.
“Don’t ask anymore, just come with me quickly!” Zhang Wen was also starting to feel anxious. He grabbed Einir forcefully, almost dragging her into his room.
Snap! As soon as Yi Ni was pulled into the room, Zhang Wen turned around and locked the door at top speed.
“What exactly do you want to do?” Elniel asked, looking at Zhang Wen in confusion.
“Shh!” Zhang Wen gestured to Yinel to be quiet, while quickly taking off his clothes. “You too, take off all your clothes! Lie down on the bed!” he whispered, making another gesture signaling her to undress.
“Oh? You… how can you still think about those things at a time like this!” Elniel covered her chest, her face blushing with a mix of embarrassment and irritation.
“Hurry up!” Before Zhang Wen could say another word to Iner, he suddenly heard a series of hurried footsteps outside the door. Then, someone knocked heavily on the door of Zhang Wen’s room!
“Tch! You came too quickly!” Zhang Wen threw the combat suit he had just taken off to one side, gritted his teeth, and glanced back at the still-dazed Elniel. Suddenly, he darted forward in a swift step, rushed to Elniel’s side, and forcefully pressed his lips onto hers. At the same time, he roughly tore off the half-jacket—the only garment covering the upper body of the elven beauty.
“Woohoo!” Yinel, feeling lost and overwhelmed, instinctively wanted to shout, but her voice was muffled by Zhang Wen’s kiss, trapped in her throat.
Zhang Wen, who had already torn off Eneal’s coat, seemed still unsatisfied and reached his hand toward the short skirt on her lower body.
“Wuwu!” In a fit of extreme shame and fury, Iniel could only swing her fists furiously, pounding on Zhang Wen’s chest like relentless raindrops. Her long, graceful legs struggled vigorously as she desperately tried to escape Zhang Wen’s hands.
Enduring Yinel’s punches, Zhang Wen simply grabbed her legs and pulled off her short skirt. Then, he turned his head toward the door, where the knocking was becoming increasingly urgent, and shouted in that direction.
“Who?”
“May I speak to Mr. Zhang Wen?” A woman’s voice quickly responded from outside the door.
“That’s right. It’s me. What is it now?” Zhang Wen asked impatiently, his tone betraying his irritation. Like a true gentleman, he turned his gaze toward the main gate, deliberately avoiding even a glance at Yinel, who stood nearly naked behind him.
“Mr. Zhang Wen, I’m very sorry to disturb your rest. Please open the door,” the woman outside the door said increasingly loudly, while knocking more and more urgently.
Sighing heavily on purpose, Zhang Wen turned around, lifted the bedsheet, and draped it over Yinel before striding quickly to the door and opening it a crack.
“Hmm. What do you want?” Zhang Wen stared unpleasantly through the crack in the door at the woman in the blue uniform outside. At the same time, he kept making gestures behind his back to Eneer.
At this moment, Eneal also realized why Zhang Wen had treated her that way just now. The beautiful and wise woman from Kentucky blushed with shame once again, hurriedly wrapping the sheet that Zhang Wen had thrown at her around her nearly naked body.
“I’m very sorry, Mr. Zhang Wen. A serious accident has occurred in the room next door, and we need to ask you a few questions. Please open the door.” The woman in the blue uniform, seeing that Zhang Wen refused to open the main door, frowned tightly, her expression becoming even more vigilant.
“What’s wrong with just asking directly?” Zhang Wen’s tone became increasingly displeased.
“Please open the door,” the woman in blue shouted, her voice filled with anger and determination.
“Hmph! I came aboard to accept Hassan’s invitation, not to be humiliated by you!” Zhang Wen frowned forcefully, refusing to back down in the slightest.
“What’s wrong, Zhang Wen?” Just as the tension between the two sides reached its peak, Eneir’s voice rang out.
However, Enil’s voice did not ease the vigilance of the blue-clad woman outside; instead, it made her even more tense. She placed her hand on the Nian steel hanging at her waist, as if ready to strike at any moment.
“What do you want to do?” Zhang Wen glanced at the woman in blue’s right hand resting on Nian Gang, his tone growing increasingly cold.
Clap!
Taking advantage of the moment when Zhang Wen’s attention was completely focused on the blue-clad woman’s right hand, she suddenly extended her left hand and pushed open Zhang Wen’s door. However, what appeared before her eyes was a scene that left the blue-clad woman extremely embarrassed.
“Oh?” Seeing Zhang Wen, who was almost completely naked, suddenly appear before her, the woman in blue couldn’t help but freeze in shock for a moment.
Then, she tried hard to look past Zhang Wen and glanced into the room. However, the scene inside made her even more embarrassed. Eneal was only covering her chest with a corner of the bedsheet, leaving most of her body exposed. On the floor lay pieces of torn clothes scattered everywhere. Eneal nervously twisted her long legs together, her face still blushing intensely.
Even more distressing was the sight of an even more embarrassing red stain on the sheet that Yini had held in front of her chest.
“Do you have anything else you want to ask?” Zhang Wen quickly blocked the woman in blue’s attempt to peek into the room, and coldly asked her again.
“I’m s-sorry,” the woman in blue stammered, her voice no longer as confident as before. Her right hand, which had been resting on Nian Gang, now awkwardly dropped to her side.
“Something unexpected happened in Miss Elnil’s room next door. So we…”
“So you started interrogating the other people living nearby?” Zhang Wen sneered, coming to the aid of the woman in blue.
“That’s right. It’s our duty. Also, those two guests were killed in Miss Eniel’s room. Is the one in your room Miss Eniel?”
“That’s right. However, since we returned to the spaceship, we’ve been in my room and haven’t left at all.” When he said this, Zhang Wen deliberately turned his head to glance at Iniel.
Einel was instantly overwhelmed with embarrassment, her face turning bright red. Her blushing appearance completely dispelled any lingering suspicions the woman in blue had.
“What happened in Eneal’s room?” Zhang Wen suddenly asked in return, his face full of curiosity.
“Uh… sorry, you don’t need to pay attention to that. Excuse me for the disturbance.” The woman in the blue dress showed an increasingly embarrassed expression.
Two guests who had accepted Hassan’s invitation were killed aboard the Star and Moon. Upon deeper reflection, it was actually the responsibility of these blue-uniformed bodyguards. They failed to implement proper precautions, which led to the unexplained deaths of two Saint-level experts!
Moreover, if the news of a Saint-level expert being killed on the ship spreads, it might cause an even greater uproar among the other competitors!
Thinking of this, the woman in blue dared not tell Zhang Wen the truth. She quickly bowed to Zhang Wen and hurriedly walked away in another direction.
“Tsk! I’ll remember today’s tab. I’ll settle the score with you later.” Zhang Wen couldn’t resist a final threat toward the already flustered woman in blue before slamming the door shut with force.
As he turned around, Zhang Wen let out a long sigh of relief.
“Phew! Finally managed to get through it.”
“Hmm.” Yinel nodded, blushing, but suddenly noticed Zhang Wen’s gaze fixed on her bare legs, which were sticking out from under the bedsheet. The elven beauty let out a startled cry and hurriedly tried to pull her legs beneath the covers as well. Unfortunately, she moved too hastily, and her right leg accidentally caught on the edge of the bed, causing her to tumble off entirely.
“Haha! This is the first time I’ve ever seen such a clumsy and awkward wise one!” Zhang Wen laughed loudly, then scooped up Eniel and carried her in his arms.
The poor elven beauty, blushing, curled up in Zhang Wen’s arms, her long, pointed ears turning red.
“Why aren’t you struggling anymore? Just now, you hit me so hard it really hurt,” Zhang Wen said with an intentionally mischievous smile, as he placed Yinel back onto the bed and asked.
“I didn’t know either…” Elnel replied in embarrassment.
“This isn’t something you can simply dismiss by saying you don’t know,” Zhang Wen said, gazing at Yinel, whose face was flushed with embarrassment. Unable to resist, he gently kissed the tip of her ear.
“Wo…” As soon as her lips touched his earlobe, Yinel trembled like she had been shocked by electricity. “Do whatever you want with me. After all, I’m already in your hands.” Yinel’s body was burning hot, and her voice trembled even more.
Zhang Wen smiled faintly and kissed Yinel’s earlobe. At the same time, his right hand slowly traced down her long, beautiful legs, slid past her soft waist, and then moved up to her prominent, full breasts.
“Ugh! T-That… that place…” Iniel’s body trembled even more violently. Instinctively, she tightly gripped Zhang Wen’s hand and resignedly shut her eyes tight…
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